Two incredible concerts for one great cause

Wednesday

Letís throw a show! And what a show it was. It spanned two nights at two different locations and raised an amazing amount for the featured charity: Autism Awareness of Sterling.

On Friday, four different musicians gathered at Hutch Vapor to play, sing and spread the word about autism awareness. Burgess Martin opened the evening of this all-acoustic show with a set of easy-listening tunes that had the audience swaying and keeping time to the beat of every song. This was an all-ages show and there were lots of children there. Two little girls, dressed up in their finest, did quite a bit of dancing during Martinís set. They were so much fun to watch.

Martin was followed by Bob Colladay, who played a variety of instruments, among them the banjo, the ukulele, the harmonica and some very inventive humming. Colladay was so into the music that at the end, as the bands were loading out, he continued to play and sing until the last person drifted out the door.

Sean Story treated us to a couple of songs sung in Kermit the Frogís voice. It was very inventive and so much fun. I think this was probably lost on the kids who were there, but the adults loved it. Everyone was laughing and having a great time.

Finally, at the end of the evening, Krista Lundemo sang for us. She sang cover tunes, did an awesome take on a Katy Perry song and finished her set with an original song she had written. It was amazing! Everyone agreed that she needs to record this as a single.

On Saturday the event moved to The Double Barrel Grill, where five more bands took to the stage to continue the party and raise money for autism awareness.

The evening started with Omaha-based Capital Avenue, whose members literally pulled into the parking lot, hit the stage and played their set. Just for that feat alone, they deserve accolades. They did a not-to-be-missed rap show that covered a variety of musical styles. It didnít hurt that they gave away their CDs for free at the end of the evening. Afterward, it was back in the car and off to Wichita for another show the same evening.

Inflection, from McPherson, treated the group to heavy metal, and I think even if you arenít a heavy metal fan, you would enjoy their music. (Iím not really into heavy metal and I did enjoy it a lot.) As you can see, the weekend covered all types of styles and bands from all over the area.

The Joy Coughs, from Wichita, treated the audience to a return to punk rock. They were true to the genre. (This is also not one of my favorite genres, but I could feel myself keeping time to the beat and enjoying the music.) I firmly believe you should go outside your comfort zone where music is concerned and try all types. You never know when youíll find a band with a style of music that you donít usually listen to that will just grab hold of you and not let go.

And then there was VOS (Victims of Spotlight). These guys are amazing, from their stage presence to their music to their merchandise. In fact, they donated some of the proceeds from the sale of their merchandise to Autism Awareness of Sterling. If you get the chance, check out VOS on the Internet. They have a video that they sang, starred in and produced at the McPherson Opera House a few months back, and itís not to be missed. Itís very professionally produced. Youíll love it.

Rounding out the evening was Death Scene. Unfortunately, the crowd had dwindled somewhat, so they missed out on all the fun, the dancing and the carousing. Check out Death Scene the next time they play a show; they are lots of fun. The crowd was on their feet and banging their heads to this group.

The weekend netted over $1,800. for Autism Awareness of Sterling and also got people talking about this and other nonprofit causes. CFTC will throw another special event similar to this one, in Wichita in April, and then back to Hutchinson in May at The Rusty Needle. Check out the website to find out more. Donít forget that the Saturday night summer concert series returns in June.

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